Workstation with Powered Height Adjustable Desk

ABSTRACT

A workstation includes a partition unit to form a workspace, in which a desk board, two lifting apparatuses and a driving device are provided. Each of the lifting apparatuses has a first tubular member connected to a bottom of the desk board, a second tubular member fixed to the partition unit, and a lifting device to move the first tubular member relative to the second tubular member. The driving device is connected to the lifting devices to drive the lifting devices to move the first tubular members so as to lift and lower the desk board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to office furniture, and more particularly to a workstation with a powered height adjustable desk.

2. Description of Related Art

Typically, a conventional workstation for office has a partition unit and a desk. The partition unit usually has three partitions to enclose a workspace, and the desk is provided in the workspace. Precisely, the partitions include a front member and two lateral members connected to opposite ends of the front member. The desk has a desk board fixed to the partitions. A drawback of such workstation is that a height of the desk board is fixed after the workstation is set.

An improved workstation has a partition unit and a height adjustable desk provided in a workspace of the partition unit. In such workstation the partition unit and the height adjustable desk are two independent elements without any connection. Furthermore, the height adjustable desk has at least two legs in the workspace, which narrows the space under the desk board.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a workstation, which is equipped with a height adjustable desk.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a workstation, which has powered lifting devices to lift and lower the desk board, and the lifting devices are fixed to the partitions to enlarge the space under the desk board.

In order to achieve the objective of the present invention, a workstation includes a front partition member having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end; a first wall member and a second wall member connected to the first end and the second end of the front partition member to enclose a workspace; a desk board provided in the workspace; two lifting apparatuses connected to a bottom of the desk board, each of which has a first tubular member, a second tubular member, and a lifting device, wherein the second tubular members are fixed to the first wall member and the second wall member respectively, and each of the first tubular members has an end fitted to the second tubular member and an opposite end connected to the desk board; the lifting device is received in the first and the second tubular members to move the first tubular member relative to the second tubular member; and a driving device connected to the lifting apparatuses to drive the lifting apparatuses.

The driving device is operated to drive the first tubular members to move upwards and downward so as to lift and lower the desk board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the motor and the lifting device;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the lifting apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the lifting apparatus extending;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the motor and the transmission device; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the transmission device and the lifting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a workstation 1 of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, including a front partition member 10, a first wall member 20, and a second wall member 30. The front partition member 10 has a first end 12 and a second end 14 opposite to the first end 12. The first wall member 20 is connected to the first end 12 of the front partition member 10 while the second wall member 30 is connected to the second end 14. The first and the second wall members 20 and 30 are perpendicular to the front partition member 10 to enclose a workspace therewithin. In the first preferred embodiment, the front partition member 10 and the first wall member 20 are two boards, and the second wall member 30 is a cabinet. The workstation 1 further includes a desk board 40 and two lifting apparatuses 42, both of which are provided in the workspace. Each of the lifting apparatuses 42 has a first tubular member 421 and a second tubular member 422. The second tubular members 422 are fixed to the first wall member 20 and the second wall member 30, and the first tubular members 421 are fitted to the second tubular members 422 for reciprocation, respectively. Distal ends of the second tubular members 422 are fixed to a bottom of the desk board 40. Therefore, movements of the first tubular members 421 relative to the second tubular members 422 may lift or lower the desk board 40.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, each of the lifting apparatuses 42 further includes a lifting device received in the first and the second tubular members 421 and 422. The lifting device includes a tube 60, a nut 62, a screw rod 64, and a weight member 66. The tube 62 is received in the first and the second tubular members 421 and 422. A bottom end of the tube 62 is connected to a lid 423, and the lid 423 is fixed to the second tubular members 422 to fix the tube 62 to the second tubular members 422. The nut 62 is fixed in the tube 60. The screw rod 64 is received in the tube 60, and threaded into the nut 62. A section of the screw rod 64, which is left out of the tube 60, is rotatably connected the first tubular member 421 through several bearings 68. The weight member 66 is fixed to an end of the screw rod 64, which is received in the tube 60 and suspended, to stabilize the suspended screw rod 64.

The workstation 1 further includes a driving device. In the present preferred embodiment, the driving device includes two motors 50 connected to the screw rods 64 to rotate them directly. As shown in FIG. 4, when the motors 50 are started, the screw rods 64 are driven to rotate, and is moved downwards because the screw rods 64 are threaded into the nuts 62. As a result, the first tubular members 421 are moved downwards relative to the second tubular members 422 to lower the desk board 40. When the motors 50 are rotating in opposite directions to rotate the screw rods 64 reversely, the screw rods 64 will be moved upward to lift the desk board 40.

In the first preferred embodiment, the workstation 1 further includes a controller 70 fixed to the desk board 40 and electrically connected to the motors 50. The controller 70 connects or cuts off a power for the motors 50 to start or stop the motors 50. Precisely, the desk board 40 is lifted or lowered according to rotating directions of the motors 50 when the controller 70 is operated to start the motors 50, and the desk board 40 is stopped at a height when the controller 70 is operated to cut the power off and the stopped motors 50 may hold the desk board 40 at the height. Furthermore, the controller 70 may synchronize the motors 50 to prevent the desk board 40 from being tilted when the desk board 40 is lifted and lowered.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show a workstation 2 of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is the same as the first preferred embodiment, except that the driving device has a motor 80 only, and the motor 80 is connected to both the lifting devices through a transmission device. The transmission device a first sector gear 82, two second sector gears 84, and two shafts 86. The first sector gear 82 is connected to the motor 80 to be rotated by the motor 80, and the second sector gears 84 are connected to the screw rods 88 of the lifting devices, respectively. The shafts 86 are provided between the motor 80 and the lifting devices, each of which has opposite ends connected to a third sector gear 861 and a fourth sector gear 862, respectively. The third sector gears 861 are meshed with the first sector gear 82, and the fourth sector gears 862 are meshed with the second sector gears 84, respectively.

The motor 80 and the transmission device are connected to a bottom of the desk board. The transmission device further includes a cover 90 connected to the bottom of the desk board to cover the shafts 86.

As a result, the motor 80 may rotate both the screw rods 88 of the lifting devices through the transmission device to lift or lower the desk board. Furthermore, the screw rods 88 are rotated synchronously through the engagement of the sector gears of the transmission device, so that it may prevent the desk board from being tilted when the desk board is lifted and lowered.

It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A workstation, comprising: a front partition member having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end; a first wall member and a second wall member connected to the first end and the second end of the front partition member to enclose a workspace; a desk board provided in the workspace; two lifting apparatuses connected to the desk board, each of which has a first tubular member, a second tubular member, and a lifting device, wherein the second tubular members are fixed to the first wall member and the second wall member respectively, and each of the first tubular members has an end fitted to the second tubular member and an opposite end connected to the desk board; the lifting device is received in the first and the second tubular members to move the first tubular member relative to the second tubular member; and a driving device connected to the lifting devices to move the first tubular members through the lifting devices; wherein the driving device is operated to drive the first tubular members of the lifting apparatuses moving relative to the second tubular members so as to lift and lower the desk board.
 2. The workstation of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first wall member and the second wall member is a board.
 3. The workstation of claim 1, wherein the driving device has two motors connected to the lifting devices of the lifting apparatuses to drive the lifting devices respectively.
 4. The workstation of claim 3, wherein each of the lifting devices has a tube, a nut, and a screw rod; the tube is received in the first and the second tubular members and connected to the second tubular member; the nut is fixed in the tube; the screw rod is rotatably connected to the first tubular member and threaded to the nut; the motors of the driving device are connected to the screw rods of the lifting devices to rotate the screw rods respectively.
 5. The workstation of claim 1, wherein the driving device has a motor and a transmission device; the motor is connected to both the lifting devices through the transmission device to drive the lifting devices respectively.
 6. The workstation of claim 5, wherein the transmission device has a first sector gear, two sector gears, and two shafts; the first sector gear is connected to the motor, and the second sector gears are connected to the lifting devices respectively; each of the shafts has a third sector gear and a fourth sector gear at opposite ends thereof; the third sector gears are meshed with the first sector, and the fourth sector gears are meshed with the second sector gears respectively.
 7. The workstation of claim 6, wherein each of the lifting apparatuses has a tube, a nut, and a screw rod; the tube is received in the first and the second tubular members and connected to the second tubular member; the nut is fixed in the tube; the screw rod is rotatably connected to the first tubular member and threaded to the nut; the second sector gears of the transmission device are connected to the screw rods of the lifting devices.
 8. The workstation of claim 6, wherein the transmission device further includes a cover connected to the desk board to cover the shafts.
 9. The workstation of claim 4, wherein an end of the screw rod is received in the tube and is suspended, to which a weight member is connected.
 10. The workstation of claim 7, wherein an end of the screw rod is received in the tube and is suspended, to which a weight member is connected.
 11. The workstation of claim 4, wherein each of the lifting apparatuses further includes a lid is connected to the second tubular member, and the tube has an end connected to the lid.
 12. The workstation of claim 7, wherein each of the lifting apparatuses further includes a lid is connected to the second tubular member, and the tube has an end connected to the lid. 